What Job Can I Get With a Degree in Media Arts?

While programs can vary by institution, a degree in media arts typically exposes students to a wide array of media outlets by combining the arts with technology. For example, you may choose to take courses in video production, audio production and writing for media. You also could opt for taking classes in graphic design, Web design and digital imaging. You may even take a combination of classes for a variety of different media outlets. The focus of your major will influence the types of jobs available to you.

The Business of Marketing

If the emphasis of your degree was visual arts, marketing is always an option. Your work in graphic design can lead to a career as a graphic designer, who conceptualizes and designs logos, packaging and other visual marketing materials for clients. A background in both graphic design and Web design could land you a job as a Web developer, who designs and builds the layout, scripting languages and visual content for clients’ websites. As you gain work experience, this degree could lead to the position of an art director, who conceptualizes and directs the visual look of advertising and marketing campaigns.

Broadcasting Always an Option

If the majority of your classes focused on video and audio elements of media arts, the world of broadcasting is open to you. On the video side of production, your degree could qualify you as a camera operator, who films their subjects under the direction of a producer for broadcast. There’s also a video editor, who takes the captured footage and edits it for broadcast. On the audio side of production, you could find yourself working as a sound engineering technician or recording mixer, who operate and adjust the volume and quality of sound recordings.

Gaming for the Future

Another avenue you may choose to explore during your education in media arts is gaming, where you’d learn game design and development, character modeling and 3-D production. With this type of emphasis, you could find work as a game designer, who develops the core features of video games. You also may find openings as an animator or texture artist for video games. Careers in this field focus almost exclusively on the characters in a video game.

A Career at an Arts Organization

Creating media isn’t the only option with a degree in media arts. Your background in film studies and communication technologies, for example, could qualify you to become a film archivist, who organizes and preserves film and video. If the basis of your degree was in the performing arts, a theater company could hire you to manage live performances, assemble props for productions or work on technical aspects of the show, such as lighting the stage or miking the performers.